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Recipe: The Skinny Martini

Combine ingredients over ice. Gently stir (to incorporate but not to kill the carbonation of the soda water).

Strain into a chilled martini glass, consume and enjoy the weather.

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I have tremendous respect for folks who maintain a regular schedule of exercise and eat healthy food year-round. Being in the restaurant business, while always exciting, has not done anything for my waist line.

At my largest, I was around 245 pounds. I trimmed that down to about 197 through working out regularly, eating right and staying away from too many of my cocktails. But, as life has become busier and stress has mounted, I have found comfort foods and drinks a little more accessible than an hour or two at the gym. So I am now satisfied with a weight between 205 and 210 pounds. (For all of my friends smirking out there, that is my true weight, and you welcome to watch the weigh in anytime.)

Life would be great if I could look like Mr. Big (Chris Noth) on “Sex and The City” — that’s physically speaking. The guy doesn’t exactly float my boat, but Sarah Jessica Parker on the other hand ... .

Alcohol, at about 7 calories per gram, is about twice as fattening as protein or carbohydrates. Does that stop me or even phase me after doing 300 covers in the Tavern after the University of Vermont graduation weekend? Hardly.

But there are a ton of people out there who are conscious of what they can have to drink. The options are pretty few and far between. There are the supposed low-carb beers, which in my mind taste like a watered down substitute of real beer (and this coming from a guy that regularly enjoys Bud Lite). There are really two options here: Drink the ponk that is low calorie because they don’t allow the grapes to ripen, reducing sugar levels and thus reducing alcohol levels (oh yeah, and reducing the actual flavor and goodness of the wine). Or you can drink less wine (yeah, right).

With liquor, however, you can make some pretty solid cocktails that are flavorful, refreshing, filling yet satisfying. There are two directions you can go here with decent results. First, there are plenty of liquors out there that are lower in alcohol. Lower in alcohol doesn’t mean less flavor, but it does mean less calories. The other option is to choose the right liquors to enjoy. Typically, the less sugar, such as clear alcohols (excluding rum), are way better for you than liqueurs (such as Bailey’s, Kahlua or other sweeter flavored alcohols). Also, choose mixers that are light and refreshing. Half and half is not going to help your hourglass figure, but Bloody Mary mixes, soda water and light juices can fill the bill.

So here’s a cocktail that I whipped up a few weeks ago, called the Skinny Martini. It’s light, refreshing and actually tastes good. While this cocktail is not guaranteed to make you look like Sarah Jessica Parker, it will certainly help you feel like her. These drinks are also great on a hot muggy days like today.

The Spirit of Benji is a weekly feature with Chris Benjamin. Benjamin is director of food and beverage at the Essex Resort and Spa/NECI in Essex. Each week, Benjamin — whose nickname is Benji — will offer a recipe for a cocktail you can make at home.